Son raised in US applying to UK unis - any recs for a 'consultant'/ service to help?

[Expatmum2023]

Hi all

My son wants to apply to UK unis from the States where we live right now and where he's mostly gone to school apart from a few stints in Italy. (I grew up in the UK and went to UK unis but am sure a lot has changed since the dinosaurs roamed ..) I need someone/a consultant to guide him through the process, in particular someone who knows how various subjects are taught in various places. E.g. if you like hands on engineering go to X, whereas more theoretical go to Y. There seem to be lots of 'consultants' online but I have no clue who is good or bad.. Has anyone used them? I'm looking for something that won't break the bank but will be active in hold his feet to the fire so to speak in terms of writing the essay and turning things in on time.. Better I outsource this and preserve my mum-son relationship (: he's that kind of kid.. Thanks all

I think some of the (not really) negative responses are because this type of Consultant really isn't a thing here. I honestly don't think they are necessary as you can't petition Admissions or quite often even speak to them directly, you just need to follow the process and there is a lot of online help and resources to do that. Getting sports scholarships are not really a thing, although you can get some financial assistance in some cases is you are good at a sport sometimes - one of DDs friends at Uni gets a Bursary of a few £ thousand as he has represented England in a sport.
I actually do Educational Consultancy but not for HE as its not really needed
I am not suggesting you just leave it to your son but with your help and a few Youtube Videos, helpful websites there is no reason he can't do it
First thing is to choose a course and then a few Unis to consider.
I know you are from The UK but if you have been away for a while you may have forgotten that we just get on with things here and not usually hire expensive overpriced consultants who do very little to do things. I work with a LOT of people moving here from The US and sometimes they thing that if they throw enough money at something it solves things (and to be fair sometimes it does) but quite often it doesn't matter how much money you have you just have to follow the process here. I see this with State school applications and property rentals all the time with my clients.

Best of luck to you both

If I was looking at a list of US universities I wouldn’t even know what state they were in. It seems pretty reasonable to get some help with the process when it’s in another country.

I would steer clear of London if he can’t fathom what University he wants to go to or needs help applying. He’ll be a target for every criminal and scammer.

I agree that some people are being a bit harsh - 17 year olds that are here have some kind of support from schools, have friends doing the same process at the same time, have older siblings or cousins who have been through it recently etc.

As he won't meet the AP requirements for the universities you have listed are you hoping an educational consultation will help you to 'negotiate' with those universities to allow him in based on his SAT scores?

As he won't meet the AP requirements for the universities you have listed are you hoping an educational consultation will help you to 'negotiate' with those universities to allow him in based on his SAT scores?

So he academically able - that’s good. Admission is pretty much only based on that as you must know. Sports etc really don’t help.

His problem is going to be subject. In England we specialise early, and our HE system is set up around that. A Natural Sciences degree may work though. Scotland also worth a look as their degrees tend to have a more general first year as Scottish kids can go a year early.

In terms of which course, setting aside foundation years for a moment, there are quite a few General Engineering degrees which start broadly and then to a greater or lesser extent specialise. But many of the other engineering degrees nowadays have a common first year so they too may have a fair bit of flexibility. Courses may have non engineering options eg a language and also some business/accounting/economics options. And the likes of oxbridge and imperial will have quite a lot of hard maths. (thats English understatement, you’ll probably realise😂)
Natural Science degrees are rather rarer - some unis tried them but phased them out.
In terms of switching courses, some universities may be more supportive than others but the student would obviously need the appropriate entry qualifications and likely start over unless it was a very related field.

Can’t comment on lack of AP though - seems this could restrict his choices. @poetryandwineis a helpful poster, a UK academic hailing from the US.

Switching courses is rare, not something you'll typically find as standard.

If he hasn't done AP courses does he even meet the requirements of these UK universities? You've mentioned some pretty high calibre ones.

It might be helpful to say what subjects his APs are in and the grades to gauge how realistic your initial picks are. The grades required for high ranked STEM degrees have become quite eye watering in the last few years - it can take parents by surprise.

Why does he want to go to a UK not US uni?
I would think he is far better suited to the US if he doesn’t have a clear idea of what he wants to do. And without a passion for a subject he should forget Oxford and Cambridge altogether.

if there is a good reason for the UK then I would suggest Scotland and maybe the few Unis that do a degree like “Liberal Arts”.

You said he has completed a couple of AP courses in his own time- which courses are these and what were his grades?

If not Calculus BC could he complete this at a local college this year?

Agree @Expatmum2023 I wouldn’t think a consultant is needed. Don’t waste your money is my advice. I wonder how much they charge?

I see he doesn’t have the quals that UK unis are usually looking for from US students – not my area at all so I am not sure how much of a barrier this would be but maybe contact a couple of unis direct to ask.

He is aiming high by the sounds of it, so Oxford and Cambridge, London unis like UCL or LSE, long-established city unis like Birmingham or Manchester or Leeds or Bristol, campus unis like Loughborough or Lancaster, non RG like Bath all might be good.

Does he want big city, campus, close to London, in the country, on the coast? I think St Andrews and London unis would be a dramatically different experience from each other.

Re subject – there are some subjects were specific unis shine (basic examples might be Bath for engineering and maths, LSE for economics) tho tbh many mainstream subjects are covered well at most unis. I see you say STEM broadly or econ (v v popular and competitive in UK atm) but be aware that it is not really common in English unis to switch mid degree. So could he do a bit of research on some specific courses at a uni he might like– – and see if he likes the sound of what he would learn?

How old is he? Is he applying this autumn?

If you can give us some answers to the above, posters can make some suggestions. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on the HE board, inc admissions tutors and then just parents (like me!) who have been through this with our own DC. Lots of people will have uni suggestions esp if you are able to give us some parameters. I know quite a bit about some subjects and some unis (ask me about Lboro haha) and others have different knowledge (obvs). And the UCAS process itself is pretty straightforward (I am assuming it is similar for an overseas student) – the main hurdle as I say may be the exams your DS has or will have done.

I don’t think people mean to be preachy – tbf your OP didn’t give much of the kind of info people would need to help, and even if there are uni consultants in the UK, I never heard of a UK student using one. The process is simple and you say you know it anyway; decisions about which uni will need to be made by your DS tbh. A consultant would only ask the same questions we have asked. But yes, there is support in UK schools which obvs your DS will be missing.

I would be wary of London btw – it’s a very specific uni experience and bc it’s the capital there is an amazing cultural offer, but students can be far flung and there’s not the same uni feel as there is at some unis (such as Oxford, Cambs, Lboro, Brum, Warwick, Nottingham from my own experience and others too – in the way that you mention St Andrews).

He doesn’t need to write an essay btw – unless you mean the personal statement? Agree that is often supported in sixth forms. But it’s not a big deal tbh as any unis admit they don’t look at it.

Additionally - if he likes Oxford for science/engineering courses - it is not just the early deadline for applying but he may need to sit (and register for, and prepare for) additional tests which usually happen during October.

The thing is - if he can’t be arse to do this bit himself, what’s he going to do in a year when he’s alone in halls? He will have to look after himself as well as study and motivate himself - they don’t have that many lectures and are expected to do a lot of self study and prep. They won’t chase for assignments either - if they’re not done, it’s tough.

@Expatmum2023 , if you post on the Facebook group WIWIKAU - it has 86k members - they have an international consultant who can guide you.

I understand your reasons for wanting to look at UK universities, but if your son doesn't really have a strong idea of what subject he wants to study yet and needs more time to try things out before he specialises he would be much better suited to the US university system.

In the UK system he will need to pick a subject (or two subjects if he's willing to consider joint honours) and then stick with it.

As pp have mentioned, switching subjects is not common in the uk. My dd is studying natural sciences at Bath where you can select from a variety of subjects. DD’s focus is on pharmacology and biochemistry. Happy to answer questions on Bath or natural sciences. My ds graduated from Warwick if that’s any help re location, campus, course etc. We were living overseas at the time and Warwick uni is near Birmingham airport which was good for flights home.
I lived overseas for 25 years and know of people in HK that used consultants for oxbridge applications, but most uk applicants usually just have school support.

STEM degrees typically do have a lot of lectures, plus labs and problem classes/tutorials. But they do have to do a lot of self study and prep too.
And there will be a lot of ‘assumed knowledge’ corresponding to the A level subjects required for U.K. applicants - if a student has not covered that content they will have a hard time. A top ranked engineering degree is going to be tough if they’ve not done the equivalent of a level maths and further maths.

Hi, OP -

Former STEM admission tutor here. I also taught in a Public Ivy for over 15 years so I can address some points others have not.

Firstly, as DS is not sure of his subject, Scotland might be his best bet. Y1 in Scotland, unlike the rest of the UK, is a generalist year. It is easier to switch between courses. Scottish degrees are four years for a Bachelors, five for M(Subject)

A Foundation Year if England is the destination as suggested by @ErrolTheDragon is also a good option, depending on how DS will react to the idea. Oxford and Imperial do not offer them. FY is meant to address gaps and I am not sure what these would be in the case of DS. However if British pedagogical style is substantially different to what he is used to, plunging into specialist Y1 at Oxford or Imperial could be a rather rude awakening.

You’ve mentioned at least by implication that DS has extracurriculars or other factors that carry weight in the US - as a Brit, you know they don’t matter here. Oxford wants evidence of (loathsome word) passion for subject. Has DS got that? Cannot be faked in interview with the experts who wrote the books.

Oxford requires the Physics Admissions Test (PAT) and Imperial the ESAT of all Engineering applicants. These are major screens for interview. I don’t think Edinburgh and St A’s use them but you can check

The Complete University Guide online will give subject matter rankings, Admissions requirements, etc. It is the best guide IMO

I usually agree with @titchy , I think it was, but the QS rankings are easily gameable. CUG rankings, the Times rankings and the Shanghai rankings are more reliable IMO. I like the Guardian rankings also, for the student perspective built in (not completely reliably).

You asked a good, granular question about teaching. The best answers will be found at the online forum The Student Room, for UK university students. There is also a similar reddit board. TSR is very good. DS should join these and post.

I understand what you are saying about his procrastination, but if it is so bad that he can’t do this relatively fun thing, perhaps he would benefit from a gap year - truthfully IMO many would. There is no UK university that looks out for students half as well as a good American one. We are very good at ticking the boxes, though, and that can give the same impression.

There UK consultants who work online with overseas clients. I will google this and see if any look familiar from when I was doing admissions. I will be back if there are. But the pandemic was hard on the sector so I expect it has changed a lot. I am not optimistic

Just to be clear, as I am not sure it has been mentioned, he will be treated as being a "foreign student" even if he is a British citizen. Home fees are based on residency, not citizenship. As a result each university levies its own fees.

Hi, @ErrolTheDragon

I am assuming an AP exam in BC Calculus, the more difficult of the two AP Calculus exams, for any application to study Engineering in England. Or equivalent.

Possibly this prep school is making arrangements for some kind of rigorous exam that would be outing to describe. I feel sure they are doing something well recognised because parents are not paying those fees to send their DC on to open access universities

If the school is truly experimental the DS really belongs in Scotland or an FY

How do you expect to cope in a new country OP if he can't even look at some unis online? One of my first uni memories is visiting a foreign student in hospital that was on my floor in my halls of residence that I'd barely spoken to because she had no one else to be with her.
I'd be looking at US unis in your situation.

If you want to find him some “friends” going through the same process and in a format appealing to your son then I’d try social media. I see a lot of people from the US and UK film their “journeys”

My dd is at uni in the UK and literally read the course descriptions of all the unis she was considering and picked one where you weren’t pushed to take specialised modules until year 3. It sounds like your ds needs to pick a similar course then hopefully by year 3, he will have some areas that he’d like to focus on. I suspect that any consultant you pay will just do the same.

London and St Andrews are wildly different experiences. My dd picked campus unis in cities because she didn’t want to be taking public transport all the time but wanted the buzz of a city. Does your son have any idea what kind of place he’d like to study in? That will help narrow down potential unis.

Have you considered a gap year if he’s not sure about subject? For example I taught myself A-level economics and statistics in my gap year because my school didn’t offer economics or statistics and I wanted to study it at LSE. The last thing you want is for him to regret his choice of subject while you live in another country.

I assume you’ve done the obvious and looked at the UCAS website and pages for the Oxbridge courses that you’re considering so you can start preparing for tests.